LA Film Fest REVIEW: Intimate, Complex “Short Term 12″ Features Breakout Performances From Brie Larson and Keith Stanfield

June 18, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Reviews Leave a comment

shortterm12review

Destin Cretton’s first job out of college was working at a foster-care facility like the one featured in his feature directorial debut “Short Term 12″, and his personal experience with the subject matter shines through clearly in this grounded, complicated and intimate character study. Led by the steely yet vulnerable Brie Larson in her breakout role, it’s not a surprise this emotional but understated drama won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award. Judging by the amount of tissues being passed around during the screening at the LA Film Festival over the weekend, it’s winning hearts in the LA crowd too.

CANNES REVIEW: Juno Temple and Michael Cera Impress in Dark Psychological Thriller “Magic Magic”

June 6, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews Leave a comment

Sebastian Silva’s “Magic Magic” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight category, implicating that this is a horror film. And it is – but only in the ways of the human psyche, of how we can be too self-absorbed and selfish to realize when life is becoming a horror for others.

Silva sets up “Magic Magic” with a serene, bright scene, his camera panning over a still ocean and gorgeous landscape. This is the calm before the storm, and we soon meet an unsure and nervous Alicia (played by Juno Temple) who has arrived in Chile in order to spend time with her friend, Sarah (Emily Browning). It is obvious from the outset however that Alicia has been feeling anxious for some time, but when Sarah leaves for personal reasons and convinces Alicia to continue on the trip, we soon begin to see signs of an even lonelier and more distressed young girl who has been left alone with strangers (Sarah’s boyfriend Agustin (Agustin Silva), his sister Barbara (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and friend Brink (Michael Cera).

REVIEW: Coming of Age Tale “The Kings of Summer” Charmingly Acted By Trio of Newcomers

May 30, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Reviews Leave a comment

kingsofsummer

A more grounded cousin to Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” that nonetheless creates its own world divorced from reality, “The Kings of Summer” heralds the coming of age of its lead characters, as well as the arrival of the young actors who play those characters, particularly Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso. Robinson and Basso anchor the film with genuine pathos and both possess natural leading man charisma and screen presence – these two are definitely ones to keep an eye on as high profile projects continue to cast young male leads.

CANNES REVIEW: Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck Shine in Gorgeous Crime Romance “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”

May 23, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 1 Comment

A tale of an outlaw couple set against the backdrop of 1970s Texas, “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” immediately drew comparisons to Terrence Malick’s “Badlands”, but this, director David Lowery’s breakout hit, is a brave, raw and visually stunning film that never tries to imitate the classics despite being clearly influenced by them.

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” is a slow-burning romantic crime drama that unfolds against the gorgeous Texas plains through the lens of DP Bradford Young, who well earned a Special Jury Prize from Sundance for his cinematography. “I love the myth of the American outlaw, and I wanted to play around with it and take it apart a little bit. There’s so much of America wrapped up in that ideology,” said Lowery, and this passion comes across on screen. The film feels like a classic already, old-fashioned to an extent but also a timeless tale of love, family and limits – and almost as if the director is beginning a fresh re-examination of these outlaw tales of old.

CANNES REVIEW: Lea Seydoux and Tahar Rahim’s Chemistry the Highlight of Metaphor-Heavy “Grand Central”

May 19, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 2 Comments

Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Grand Central” begins with a great opening – electronic music creates a sense of tension as Tahar Rahim smokes on a train and has his wallet stolen, before block red lettering flashes up on the screen spelling out the names of the cast and director. Zlotowski’s decision to set the film in and around France’s nuclear power plants is odd and brilliantly original but “Grand Central” soon becomes overly dependent upon metaphors, to the detriment of an otherwise great love story.

Rahim stars as Gary Manda, a young man who has no prospects and so decides to work for France’s nuclear power plants. He takes pleasure in his work, being the best and getting things right first time, and one night when out for dinner he meets Karole, played by the wonderful Lea Seydoux. Karole is a tease, kissing Gary in front of her fiance, Gary’s co-worker, as a way to describe what working at the plant feels like. But it is clear that both Gary and Karole are fascinated with the other and they soon begin a love affair.

CANNES REVIEW: Oscar Isaac Shines in Funny, Melancholy “Inside Llewyn Davis”

May 19, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 1 Comment

insidellewyndavis

“Inside Llewyn Davis” was perhaps our most anticipated film of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and the Coen Brothers latest film did not disappoint, weaving a melancholy yet genuinely funny and enjoyable story of a down on his luck folk singer. It’s essentially a thin plot but it doesn’t matter, as the Coens and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnol have constructed a beautifully woven tale about the failures and successes life throws at us – and the directors cleverly sidestep answering any of those questions.

This is a return to lighter fare for the brothers and it’s a pleasure to watch Llewyn (played by the incredible Oscar Isaac in an awards-worthy performance) travel up and down Manhattan, rotating through friends’ couches, taking a road trip to Chicago and trying to return a cat to his owner, all while trying to make it big as a folk singer.

CANNES REVIEW: Marine Vacth is a Breakout in Francois Ozon’s Coming of Age Tale “Jeune et Jolie”

May 17, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 1 Comment

youngandbeautiful

“Jeune et Jolie” (“Young and Beautiful”) was the first In Competition film I saw at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and it couldn’t have been a better film to start with. A contemplative tale on female sexuality and the burgeoning discovery teenagers go through, its star Marine Vacth is a joy to watch and someone we all need to keep our eye on over the next few years.

Director Francois Ozon‘s tale is set over four seasons and four Francois Hardy songs, following Vacht’s Isabelle, a seventeen year old girl who turns to prostitution as she explores the power of her femininity and what her body can do for others. This is not a moral tale, nor a story on right and wrong but an honest portrayal of a complicated time.

CANNES REVIEW: “Fruitvale Station” Rises and Rises With Michael B. Jordan

May 16, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews Leave a comment

The based-on-a-true story “Fruitvale Station” is very much 2013′s “Beasts of the Southern Wild” – a first time director, Ryan Coogler, taking Cannes Film Festival by storm following a world premiere at Sundance Film Festival, with an impressive awards-worthy performance from a rising star. And please Academy, award Michael B. Jordan with that Oscar nomination like you did for Quvenzhane Wallis.

An intimate film like “Fruitvale Station” rises and falls with its lead, and Jordan is hugely successful in holding us captive as we follow a day in the life of Oscar Grant (Jordan), a young man who was subjected to police brutality in the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2009.

CANNES REVIEW: “The Bling Ring” is a Cautionary Tale for Our Time, and Pretty to Look At Too

May 16, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Reviews 2 Comments

Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring” opens with a scene those of us familiar with popular culture will recognize – young teenagers on CCTV apparently breaking into someone’s house. It is of course the aforementioned Bling Ring, five teenagers who spent several months entering – but never actually breaking in to – celebrity houses and stealing clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry. Today’s generation is the generation of no consequences and director Sofia Coppola and her cast of young newcomers, in dramatizing these real events that took place in Los Angeles, make this very clear.

Newport Beach Film Festival REVIEW: Brit Marling’s “The East” Goes Mainstream

April 29, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Reviews 1 Comment

east

Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij made a splash at Sundance two years ago with their micro-indie “Sound of My Voice”, and Hollywood quickly came calling: The screening for their new film “The East” kicked off at the Newport Beach Film Festival with a program director quipping “let’s see what they were able to do with an actual budget.” Well, what they did with an actual Fox Searchlight-sized budget is something altogether more mainstream than their previous effort, with all the positives and negatives that come with it.

Page 1 of 512 3 4 5 »